The Changing Consumer: The Era of the Online Scheduler

Key Takeaways

• Healthcare Digital Evolution: Practices must understand the impact of changing consumer habits on healthcare providers amidst the digital evolution.
• Data-Driven Personalization: Learn how leveraging data for personalization and convenience is crucial in adapting to the new era of healthcare.
• Challenges in Practice Growth: Understand the challenges healthcare providers face in attracting and retaining patients in today's dynamic environment.
• Millennial Influence on Healthcare: Delve into the demographic shift, with millennials outnumbering baby boomers, and discover how their online activity influences healthcare decisions.
• Digital Solutions for Practice Efficiency: Discover practical solutions, such as Doctible's Smart Scheduler, to streamline processes, improve patient experience, and achieve sustainable practice growth.

Changing customer habits has vastly altered the playing field for healthcare providers. In recent years, consumer reaction to the speed of digital evolution triggered many to manage their health digitally. Using data to drive personalization and convenience played a major role in the switch.

Today’s challenge: Achieving reliable and sustainable practice growth

The foundation for a successful practice is having a steady roster of patients. Today's environment is challenging for attracting new and keeping existing patients due to changing consumer buying habits and demographics.

According to population projections from the 2020 US census data¹, millennials outnumber baby boomers by 10%. More than 55% of these individuals make purchase decisions based on online consumer activity. Likewise, they are more health-conscious and digitally astute than the previous generation.

Your practice is also competing in a crowded marketplace of similar/same product and service offerings. Your patients can find what they need with a simple online search. Consequently, you'll need a strong online reputation and easy-to-use, digitally savvy services.

Are you prepared?

Like you, Doctible customers struggle with resources related to capacity and capability. These problems are often caused by office duties that do not require a full-time headcount.

Your team is now tasked with doing much more than ever before. Your front office staff has become your sales, marketing, customer service, and billing team nearly overnight. And, the digital trends are not slowing down.

The inability to standardize processes directly affects costs, margins, and ultimately your return on investment (ROI). Did you know it takes seven calls to fill an hour of your team's time each day? This method can accumulate approximately $5500 yearly (1 hour a day/ $20 an hour). Not only is manual appointment setting inconvenient, but it is also limiting attention on front-facing patient engagement.

How do you and your staff keep up?

The pandemic changed how patients search for healthcare and schedule appointments, making today the era of the online scheduler. A survey² indicates that patients are accustomed to making quick online decisions. The study shows that 42% of patients do not want to wait or speak to someone on the phone. And 26% prefer to choose same-day/next-day appointments.

 Yet, only 17% of practices offer online scheduling. 

A high percentage of patients prefer booking appointments online and at their convenience! Think about what that means for your practice.

Considering online scheduling

If you are thinking about adding online scheduling, please do it! You will become a fresh, technologically savvy, patient-centric, cool and exciting practice.

An online scheduling tool, like the Doctible Smart Scheduler, allows patients to use their live, active calendar for scheduling appointments and receiving reminders. Moreover, Doctible's Smart Scheduler frees your team to give more attention to your patients.

How can we help?

Doctible can help you keep pace with the changing consumer. You can achieve sustainable practice growth through standardizing processes that improve and protect your profit margins.

Solutions like the Smart Scheduler software are built to aid providers in accelerating innovation. They enable your practice to focus on what matters most—the patient.

Are you ready to improve patient experience, grow your business, and capture new customers searching digitally? Demo Doctible's tools today!